ok picture this!!!!you've been living in a climate that fluctuates between 30-36 degrees daily for 2 months...the odd day theres a bit of wind from the sea but on st.patricks day, in true irish style....it RAINS!!!!!odd shower and nothing like back home but still.....not equipped for rain over here!suns out again today......must of been the magic of paddy's day!

I was at the Boston show last night, nice mix of old and new. some highlights:-before the band came on, they played a clip of the muppets singing Danny Boy (in honor of st pattys of course!)-apparently, someone stole Paul's cowbell, but he worked out his anger in the song-he did some partial cover action...Outkast and Rage i believe

here's the playlist (the order is wrong i'm sure)Heart is WiredNext to YouFlameRibsTongueGreat DefectorAlphabet SoupRockyMy First BornEveBreastfedBetter BandI'll See Your Heart

Yes the Boston Show rocked!!!!They played Raglan Road which was so nice to hear Paul sing.....and made me a little homesick...Songs from the new album live are really good and I think it will work for their favor that there are less ballady type songs.. Don't get me wrong I love them all.....but I'm not the market to convince...

They had just arrived in Boston while the support band were on as they had been recorded for The Letterman Show.It was great we hung around after the show and watched Letterman with Bell X1 watching them selves on Letterman recorded earlier that day.... Great stuff and the lads are great to have the chat after the show...

Thanks for posting that article Colm, it was a great read and having been to a few of the US shows in Boston I can agree with the ex pats drunkeness that they encountered in many locations including Boston but this time round I think it was a lot less and there was a great American gathering which is so good to see...

The Ticket rate their top 50 Irish acts of the moment today, with the bellies at number 9, described as "Irish rock's most likeable band". A few strange omissions, and I can't believe Fight Like Apes at no. 4. Much as I like Villagers, I can't see how they can be at no. 6 after only releasing one EP and Róisín Murphy is higher than I would have that. Still, it's an interesting list and there's already nearly 100 comments about it on Jim Carroll's blog.

That's on the bellies' website (the old website I mean). Videos were hidden under Family & Flock - 'Special Treats Here'. That's where I used to get most of my bellies material, like the one I made for my avatar.

But I did not write the headline, I swear. And below is the full thing before all the good bits were subbed out...

Success for Bell X1 has always been somewhat a feast or a famine. For more than a decade the band have been household names in their native Ireland with a string of platinum-selling albums and number one hits.

Overseas recognition, however, has remained tantalisingly elusive. But the group last year decided to take matters into their own hands and split from their record label, forming their own BellyUp Records. With a fresh new album and a punishing American and European tour schedule Bell X1 seem set to finally glean the exposure they deserve.

Traditionally, British audiences embrace small-time American bands, such as Kings of Leon or Scissor Sisters, and turn them into world-wide sensations. Bell X1, however, have been roundly embraced by the Yanks but largely ignored on these shores.

Says lead singer Paul Noonan, "Yes, there has been much pained dwelling and gnashing of teeth on that one, on our part, but I don’t think there’s any point to it really; we is what we is.

"The fact that we were big in Ireland before going to the UK was a bit of a handicap, I think, as in the thinking in certain quarters was that they weren’t going to take their pointers from the little neighbour.

"Whereas in America it’s been a help, partly due to the fact there are many there with Irish heritage, and also the widely held notion that Ireland gives good tune.

"We’ve been wary of playing the Irish card, as much as their notion of Irishness - mad craic and boozing, wild-eyed playing til you bleed, is not what we are and is scary."

Bell X1 started life in 1991 as a band called Juniper with Noonan on drums and Damien Rice singing, backed by guitarists Dominic Philips and Brian Crosby. Multi-instrumentalist David Geraghty completed the quintet a year or so later and the group signed a six-album deal with Polygram.

But after two singles and several artistic differences, Rice left to grow organic tomatoes in Italy and pursue a solo career. Meanwhile, the band regrouped as Bell X1; Noonan emerged from behind the drum kit to take the frontman’s place and their first album, Neither Am I, was released in 2000.

In Ireland, the band shot up like a rocket; their albums went platinum, their singles reached number one slots. However, beyond the attentions of faithful Irish ex-pats, Bell X1 failed to make a mark overseas.

After years of fruitlessly cajoling their label Island Records to release their albums in Europe and America, the band finally decided to jump ship and form BellyUp Records. At the same time, Crosby left the group to concentrate on solo projects.

Now, far from being milk-toothed schoolboys, the remaining trio have earned their chops at home and have set their sights on mainstream success. Later this year they will support U2, surely a sign Bell X1 are on the up.

Blue Lights on the Runway is their fourth studio album and, they hope, the record that will make their name as ubiquitous outside of Ireland as in.

So far, success. Numerous appearances on David Letterman and glowing critical reviews have ensured healthy album sales and sell-out gigs across both coasts.

Last year the group toured America four times, setting off with romantic notions of exploring the oft-depicted frontier, eating pancakes in Wyoming and enjoying barbeque with mom and pop. Unfortunately, the dreams of American pastoral and Highway 66-style road trips literally went up smoke when their tour bus spontaneously caught fire in Boston.

The band pride themselves on their liberal, indie credentials but last year took the decision to allow coffee behemoth Starbucks to use one of their songs on an in-store CD. They are, perhaps, not selling out but, rather, taking their chances where they can.

"We made a call on that and decided to do it," says Noonan. "Yes, it is contradictory, but we chose to be selfish and take the exposure. If you investigate all platforms on which your music takes a whirl, you’d be drained of the will to live, let alone make music, and would find unsavouriness related to many radio stations, promoters, retail outlets and media."

New album Blue Lights on the Runway is a wonderfully odd mix of genres and as changeable as coastal weather. In common with their previous records, the songs are minutes-long short stories; musical vignettes as bright and pulsing as stained glass.

The band, who play King Tuts in Glasgow tonight, have yet another tour to America planned as well as several summer festival dates and the support slot with U2. Bell X1 have always had their sights on the long game and for this trio, with their Stateside ambitions, respite is unlikely. They have created a dazzling album that deserves a wider audience.

"The band that is now the core of BELL X1 but at the time had a lead singer called Damien Rice - and what became of them all - sank into obscurity no doubt!" Dan Hegarty, 2FM 2006 (with tongue firmly in cheek)